King Charles could soon evict his brother Prince Andrew from the Royal Lodge and slash the private funding for the security operation at the residence, following the mention of his name in the unsealed court files in a lawsuit involving Jeffrey Epstein, according to reports.
The Duke of York has resided at Royal Lodge, located on the grounds of Windsor Castle, since 2003 and currently shares the 31-room mansion with his ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson.
Sources told the Daily Mail that the latest developments have shown King Charles that “there is no way back” when it comes to any public role for his brother. The outlet also reported that the King will look to move Prince Andrew into a smaller residence.
The Telegraph also reported that the Duke of York will be forced to fund future security operations at his Windsor home as King Charles will withdraw the funding.
WHAT WAS SAID AGAINST PRINCE ANDREW
The unsealed court documents are related to a defamation lawsuit filed by Virginia Giuffre in 2015 against Jeffrey Epstein’s girlfriend, Ghislaine Maxwell. Maxwell was accused by multiple women of helping the financier recruit underage victims. Giuffre alleged she was sexually abused in her teen days.
As per the records, Epstein accuser Johanna Sjoberg said Prince Andrew put his hand on her breast to pose for a photo with Epstein, Giuffre and Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein’s former girlfriend. Sjoberg said the photo also included a puppet that said “Prince Andrew” on it.
This allegation was previously reported by the Mirror in 2020.
Further, Juan Alessi, a former housekeeper at Epstein’s home in Palm Beach, Florida, said Prince Andrew had extended stays at the house and received daily massages.
Prince Andrew has already been stripped of most of his royal titles due to his association with Epstein.
He settled a civil lawsuit with Giuffre in 2022 for an undisclosed sum, and has denied wrongdoing.